Book cover-easel combination



Feb. 6, 1968 B. SLANHOFF 3,367,579

BOOK COVEREASEL COMBINATION Filed Ma rch 2l, 1966 25/ FIG] i? 21 INVENIOR,

FIGS Bertvom Slonhoff, i BY ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,367,679 BOOK COVER-EASEL COMBINATION Bertram Slanhoff, 1243 Post Road, Scarstlale, N.Y. 10583 Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 535,789 10 Claims. (Cl. 28133) The present invention relates to a combination book cover and easel.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved normally-fitting paper cover for a book, which when the book is opened and should the user desire, said cover can be manipulated to present an easel structure of assured stability to support the book on a desk or table surface on which the covered book and its easel can be slid from place to place, or lifted and set down anywhere, always as a unit and without change in the erected condition of the easel.

Another object thereof is to provide a novel and improved combined book cover and easel of the character described, which can be made of a one-piece paper blank.

A further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved combination book cover and easel of the kind set forth, having the mentioned attributes, and which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost to manufacture, easy to use, and which is efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, the article comprises a horizontally positioned triangular tube structure made of a relatively heavy paper having a fair degree of stiffness; one wall of said tube serving as a base, the front wall serving to support an open book, and the rear wall of said tube serving as an easel leg. The lower end of the easel leg is unattached. A flap extending upwardly from the rearward end of the base and lying against the rear surface of the leg, is hinged to said leg. It is evident that the lower edge of the leg rests in the vertex of the dihedral angle made by the base and said flap. Dimensions are so chosen that said tube can be folded flat whereupon the leg is intermediate the front and base panels, and said fiap is intermediate the leg and base panels; said flap having been moved a half turn so that the vertex line of said dihedral angle is now upwardly away from the lower edge of the leg panel. At each side edge of the front panel, there is a sleeve bent over the front surface of said front panel, to receive the distal side ends of the lids of the book. Said tubular structure so folded, automatically folds itself along the hightwise edges of the book back, when the book is closed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this spec-- ification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a book cover and easel combination embodying the teachings of this invention, shown in nearly fully erected condition. This view is taken looking at an end and the rear of said article.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, with said article holding a book.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the article in folded condition, serving as an ordinary book cover; the book being included in this view.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken at line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows FIG. 4 in folded condition, omitting the sleeve which receives a book lid, to attain clarity of illustration.

FIG. 6 shows a blank from which the article of FIG. 1 may be formed.

FIG. 7 is a view like FIG. 4, omitting the sleeve, but of slightly modified construction.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation in the nature of a geometric figure, of an end view like FIG. 4, but showing the easel near fully-collapsed condition. This will be used to explain the relationships of the components, by reference to letters which are also indicated in several of the other views of the drawing.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of the blank of FIG. 6, slightly modified.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view akin to FIG. 4, of the cover-easel combination made with such modified blank.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally an ordinary book whose pages 16 are between the lids 17 and 18 which are hinged respectively along the heightwise edges of the book back 19. The cover-easel combination for said book, is designated generally by the numeral 20, which is made of heavy-weight paper material having some stiffness and resilient quality, and comprises a jacket for said book, whose lid-covering portions 21, 22 and book-covering portion 23, constitute one wall or panel 24 of a horizontally-positioned triangular tube 25, whose other walls are the panels indicated generally by the numerals 26 and 27 respectively. The panel 26 serves as the easel leg. The panel 27 is the base to rest on a desk or table top surface. Along each side edge of the booksupporting front panel 24, there may be a usual flap, not shown, to be tucked between a lid and the book pages, but preferred, is to have such flaps in the structure of sleeves 28, 29 which are swung to lie over the front surface of the front panel 24. These sleeves receive the distal end portions of the lids 17, 18 of the book, respectively. The lower edge of the leg panel is unattached. A flap indicated generally as 35 extends in back of the leg panel 26, upwardly from the entire rear edge of the base panel 27. The upper edges of the front panel 24 and the leg panel 26, are hingedly associated. The lower edge of the front panel 24 and the forward edge of the base panel 27, are hingedly associated. The rearward edge of the base panel 27 and the lower edge of the flap 30, are hingedly associated. The upper edge of said flap is hingedly associated with the leg panel 26, intermediate the top and bottom edges of said leg panel. The lower edge of the leg panel 26, rests in the vertex of the dihedral angle formed by the base panel 27 and the flap 30. The sleeves 28, 29 are hinged to the front panel 24.

A book 15 is associated with the item 20 shown in FIG. 1, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, namely, the lid 17 is slid into the sleeve 28, and the lid 18 is slid into the sleeve 29. It is evident that the book is now within its jacket aforementioned. The lid 17 is against the portion 21, the back 19 is against the portion 23, and the lid 18 is against the portion 22, that is, the book is in open condition, resting against the front panel 24. The arrangement of the item 20 is as shown in FIG. 4, where the leg panel 26 is positioned that its lower edge is engaged in the vertex of the dihedral angle formed by the base panel 27 and the flap 30. It is evident that the item 20 serves as both a book cover and easel supporting the book, when it is as illustrated in the FIGS. 2 and 4. When the book is to be put away or carried in closed condition, the leg panel 26 is shifted towards the book, and the floor panel 27 is swung upwardly forwardly towards the book. Now the flap 30 will be between the leg panel 26 and the floor panel 27, for the flap will have made a half turn in counterclockwise direction, and the item 20 has assumed flattened condition as shown in FIG. 5. Now if the book 15 is closed, all the panels 24, 26, 25 and the flap 30, will automatically fold and be around the book, so the entire item 20 becomes and appears as a book cover as shown in FIG. 3.

When the covered book is opened, all the paper plies of the item thereon, will fiatten and remain in superposed position. In such condition, and when the book is closed, the item 20 serves as the books cover. If it is desired to support the book as on an easel, the user merely restablishes the triangular tubular structure 25, as shown in FIG. 4.

The item 20 may be made of a single blank shown in FIG. 6. Here, all dot-dash lines indicate scored fold lines and all numerals indicate the particular rectangle within which they are enclosed respectively. For convenience, some of the rectangles are identified with letters at their respective vertices, as is usual in geometry.

The rectangle ABCD will serve as the front panel 24 of the item 20, and in view, is the front surface of such panel. The rectangle CDGH will be the base panel 27, the bottom surface of which is in view. The rectangle ABEF will be the leg panel 26, the rear surface of which is in view. The flap 3% is provided by the rectangle GI-IPN. The panel 24 is intermediate and contiguous with the panels 26 and 27, and comprises the portions 21 and 22, intermediate which is the portion 23, in contiguous relation. The panels 26, 24- and 27, follow one another along the height of the blank of FIG. 6. The portions 21, 23, 22, follow one another across the width of the blank. The numeral 28' indicates a flap extending from the side AD, which flap 28 has extending from its upper edge, a wing 28, and from its lower edge, the wing 28. The numeral 29' denotes a flap extending from the side BC, which flap 29 has extending from its upper edge, the wing 29", and from its lower edge, the wing 29'. Each of said flaps 28 and 29 and their associated wings are of rectangular shape. The corners A, B, C, D, may be notched as shown. The boundaries of the portion 23, extended to the edges of the blank, determine the locations of fold lines. GH is also a fold line.

The distal marginal edges of the flap GHPN and wings 28' and 29" have the glue lanes 35, 36 and 37 respectively, to accomplish proper assembly when the blank of FIG. 6 is folded to comprise the item shown in FIG. 1. Such folding is done as follows.

The wing 28" is swung downwardly forwardly and further moved to lie against the flap 28'. The wing 28 is swung upwardly forwardly and further moved to lie against said flap and overlap the wing 28", whereupon said wings are then secured together by the glue in the lane 36. Flap dimensions permit such overlap. This partial assembly has formed the sleeve 28, which is then folded forwardly and further moved to lie against the portion 21. In like manner, the sleeve 29 is made of the flap 29' and its wings 29" and 29", which sleeve 29 is then swung forwardly and further thereafter, to lie against the portion 22. The glue lane which is here interrupted by the notch 38, is bent rearwardly upwardly to lie against the portion of the blank below the line GH. The portion ABEF is then swung downwardly rearwardly while the portion DNPC is swung upwardly rearwardly, until such two portions contact as in 20 in FIG. 4 where they are represented as the panels 27 and 26 respectively. Now the glue lane 35 is secured onto the rear surface of the leg panel 26 as shown in FIG. 4, to provide the swing line 40 indicated in FIG. 1. The notch 38 offers access to the finger hole 41 in the leg panel 26, so the leg panel can be shifted from its position shown in FIG. 1, to its position shown in FIG. 4, where the lower edge of the leg panel 26, sets snug into the vertex at the rear end of the base panel 27. The blank of FIG. 6 has thus been made into the finished item 20, by a series of steps which are given merely as one way of accomplishing same.

A book 15 equipped with the combination cover-easel 20, can be closed after first collapsing the easel, as shown in FIG. 5. Automatically, as the book is being closed, all the panels 24, 26, 27, and the flap 30 will fold to straddle the book. The line 42, which is the juncture of the base panel 27 and the flap 30, will be around the closed covered book, intermediate the top and bottom of the book, as shown in FIG. 3. For appearance sake, this junction line can be at the top edge of the book when the book is closed. If so desired, the dimensions of the panels and flap, are made as shown for example in FIG. 7, wherein the line 40 where the fiap 30' is hinged to the leg panel 26, is midway up the leg panel, and the panels 24, 27' and 26 of the tube structure 25, are identical. When such tube structure is folded flat in the manner indicated in FIG. 5, the junction line 42' of the panel 27 and its flap 30', will be along the junction line of the top ends of the panels 24' and 26'. For the embodiment of FIG. 7, the blank will be such that the distances GD, DA and AF are equal to each other, and the distance GN will be half GD.

It is evident in all instances, that the distance between the top and bottom edges of the leg panel does not exceed the distance between the top and bottom edges of the front panel, and should be shorter by the thickness of the paper which even might be negligible, and that the distance between the hinge line connections of the flap 30, does not exceed half the distance between the top and bottom edges of the leg panel.

In the geometric representation FIG. 8, in which paper thickness is disregarded, the following may be noted:

FN equals GN';

AD equals AN plus GD minus GN';

AD equals AF minus GN' plus DG minus GN'; AD equals AF plus GD minus 2 GN';

in which as aforementioned, AF is no greater than AD; and GN is no greater than AF/2.

In the design of this article, AD is chosen to suit the book 15 to be covered, the base angles of the triangle ADG when the easel is erected, are chosen to suit the desired support plane of the book, and to attain stability when the easel is in use.

The paper material for this book cover-easel combination, may be a relatively heavy kraft paper, plastic, oaktag, a pressed fiber paper or the like, to attain proper sturdiness of the easel in erected condition. Paper material generally, has some resilient quality, which in any event would be sufficient to allow portion NF to come to and move away from the flap N'G, when the easel is being erected and when it is being collapsed.

It is also to be noted, sleeves for the reception of the book lids are not mandatory though preferred, so the wings 28, 28", 29", 29 may be omitted, in which instance the flap 28 is set between the lid 17 and the books pages, and the flap 29 is set between the lid 18 and the books pages.

It is to be noted that the cover-easel 20 when erected, is equally sturdy to rest either on the panel 27, as in the FIGS. 1 and 4, or on the panel 26, and amply support the book. This allows book positions at two different slopes if the widths of the panels are unequal, as is the case in FIG. 4. However, for the book to be up side up when the cover-easel is resting on the panel 26, the book must be inverted in relation to its position shown in FIG. 2.

The side edges of the panels 26 and 27 may be reinforced and made stiffer, and so may be the bottom edge of the panel 26, by having folded over pasted on flaps integral therewith; only such flaps 44 and 45 being shown in FIG. 9 for the panel 27. It is preferred to have such flaps 44, 45 short a bit of the fold line 42 which is GH, s0 upon erection of the cover-easel as shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the panel 26 will fall into the channel offered by HGZY as indicated at 46. This will hold said panel 26 against accidental forward movement. The bottom of said panel 26 will be retained between the vertex at 42 and the edges of the pasted down flaps 44 and 45, adjacent said vertex. The distances HY and GZ are made to suit such condition.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is, therefore, intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific showings and description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a book cover-easel combination made of relatively heavy paper sheeeting, a horizontally positioned triangular tube comprising a base panel to rest on a surface, a rear leg panel and a rectangular front panel; the upper edge of said front panel having hinge connection with the upper edge of the leg panel; the lower end of the front panel having hinge connection with the forward edge of the base panel, a first flap extending upwardly in back of the leg panel; the lower edge of said fiap having hinge connection with the rearward edge of the base panel; the upper edge of said flap having hinge connection with the leg panel intermediate the upper and lower edges of the leg panel; the distance between the said edges of said flap, being at most, one half the distance between said edges of the leg panel, second and third flaps, extending respectively from the side edges of the front panel and having hinged connection therewith respectively, so said second and third flaps may be swung towards each other to lie in front of the front panel; the lower edge of the leg panel resting on the inner vertex line of the dihedral angle formed by the base panel and the first flap; said front panel comprising a central upright rectangular section for covering the back of a book; that part of the front panel which is between said central section and the second flap, having hinge connection with said central section and adapted for covering one of the lids of the book; that part of the front panel which is between said central section and the third flap, having hinge connection with said central section and adapted for covering the other lid of the book; said second and third flaps being for placement against the inside surfaces of said lids respectively; said triangular structure being collapsible into a fiat form whereupon the leg panel is positioned against the rear surface of the front panel; said leg panel, base panel and said first flap, when said triangular structure is so collapsed, being bendable in the same manner the front panel is bendable when the lid-covering portions of the front panel are swung towards each other forwardly of said central section; said front section, and said second and third flaps when swung towards each other to lie facing the front surface of the front panel, being adapted to serve as the jacket for the book; said triangular structure being sufficiently sturdy to support a book resting against the outer surface of the front panel, when said structure is set to rest on one of its other panels.

2. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are integral, said second and third flaps are integral with the front panel, and said first flap is integral with the base panel, whereupon disassociation of the first flap from the leg panel, and unfolding said book easel-cover combination to be flat, it will consist of a one piece blank.

3. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, including wings extending respectively, one from each upper and one from each lower edge of said second and third flaps; the wings associated with the second flap being positioned on one surface of the second flap in overlapping relation and secured to each other whereby said second flap and its Wings for a sleeve for the reception of the distal end portion of a book lid, and the wings associated with the third flap being positioned on the corresponding surface of the third fiap in overlapping relation and secured to each other whereby the second flap and its Wings for a sleeve for the reception of the other lid of the book in corresponding manner; such lids being enterable into said sleeves when the sleeves are swung to lie in front of and opposite the front panel.

4. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 3, wherein the panels are integral, said. second and third flaps are integral with the front panel and their respective wings, and said first flap is integral with the base panel, whereupon disassociation of the first flap from the leg panel, and the secured flaps from each other, and unfolding said book cover-easel combination to be flat, it will consist of a one piece blank.

5. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the base and leg panels and the first fiap, are of rectangular shape and extend to the vertical planes confining the front panel.

6. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge connection of the first flap with the leg panel is nearer to the base panel than to the upper edge of the leg panel.

7. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge connection of the first flap with the leg panel is mid-way between the upper and lower edges of the leg panel.

8. The book cover-easel combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the base panel along each end of said triangular tube has an integral flap bent into the tube, superposed on and attached to said base panel; the end edges of the last-mentioned flaps adjacent the leg panel being short of said leg panel; the lower end of the leg panel resting on the base panel and restrained by said end edges against accidental movement toward the front panel.

9. A one-piece blank of relatively stiff paper material for making a book cover-easel combination, comprising a rectangular portion having first and second spaced parallel score lines dividing said portion into a central rectangular section and top and bottom rectangular sections; the said lower section having a third score line thereacross parallel to said other score lines, thereby providing said lower section with a first flap, a second fiap extending from one side edge of the central section, a third flap extending from the other side edge of said central section; said second and third flaps extending to the extensions of said two spaced parallel score lines; said blank having score lines along the junctions of said second and third flaps with the said central sections; said blank having a pair of spaced parallel score lines centrally thereof, perpendicular to the other score lines and extending from the distal edge of the upper section to the distal edge of said first flap; a fourth score line spaced from and parallel to the distal edge of the first flap defining a marginal lane having a glue coating on one surface of the blank and the distance from said glue lane to the line of junction of said first flap and said lower section being at unost one half the height of said upper section, the distance between said first and second score lines being equal to the height of said top section plus the height of said lower section excluding said third flap less twice the distance between said third and fourth score lines; said three sections being capable of forming a triangular tube.

10. A blank as defined in claim 9, including wings extending from the upper and lower edges of said second and third flaps; the height of each of said flaps being less than the combined heights of its associated wings; the distal end lane of one of said wings on each of said second and third flaps, having a glue coating on said one surface of the blank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,256,513 9/1941 Bauer 28133 2,258,273 10/1941 Barrett 28133 3,125,356 3/1964 Cline 28133 JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A BOOK COVER-EASEL COMBINATION MADE OF RELATIVELY HEAVY PAPER SHEETING, A HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED TRIANGULAR TUBE COMPRISING A BASE PANEL TO REST ON A SURFACE, A REAR LEG PANEL AND A RECTANGULAR FRONT PANEL; THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH THE UPPER EDGE OF THE LEG PANEL; THE LOWER PANEL END OF THE FRONT PANEL HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE BASE PANEL, A FIRST FLAP EXTENDING UPWARDLY IN BACK OF THE LEG PANEL; THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID FLAP HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH THE REARWARD EDGE OF THE BASE PANEL; THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID FLAP HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH THE LEG PANEL INTERMEDIATE THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF THE LEG PANEL; THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SAID EDGES OF SAID FLAP, BEING AT MOST, ONE HALF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID EDGES OF THE LEG PANEL, SECOND AND THIRD FLAPS, EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY FROM THE SIDE EDGES OF THE FRONT PANEL AND HAVING HINGED CONNECTION THEREWITH RESPECTIVELY, SO SAID SECOND AND THIRD FLAPS MAY BE SWUNG TOWARDS EACH OTHER TO LIE IN FRONT OF THE FRONT PANEL; THE LOWER EDGE OF THE LEG PANEL RESTING ON THE INNER VERTEX LINE OF THE DIHEDRAL ANGLE FROMED BY THE BASE PANEL AND THE FIRST FLAP; SAID FRONT PANEL COMPRISING A CENTRAL UPRIGHT RECTANGULAR SECTION FOR COVERING THE BACK OF A BOOK; THAT PART OF THE FRONT PANEL WHICH IS BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL SECTION AND THE SECOND FLAP, HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH SAID CENTRAL SECTION AND ADAPTED FOR COVERING ONE OF THE LIDS OF THE BOOK; THAT PART OF THE FRONT PANEL WHICH IS BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL SECTION AND THE THIRD FLAP, HAVING HINGE CONNECTION WITH SAID CENTRAL SECTION AND ADAPTED FOR COVERING THE OTHER LID OF THE BOOK; SAID SECOND AND THIRD FLAPS BEING FOR PLACEMENT AGAINST THE INSIDE SURFACES OF SAID LIDS RESPECTIVELY; SAID TRIANGULAR STRUCTURE BEING COLLAPSIBLE INTO A FLAT FORM WHEREUPON THE LEG PANEL IS POSITIONED AGAINST THE REAR SURFACE OF THE FRONT PANEL; SAID LEG PANEL, BASE PANEL AND SAID FIRST FLAP, WHEN SAID TRIANGULAR STRUCTURE IS SO COLLAPSED, BEING BENDABLE IN THE SAME MANNER THE FRONT PANEL IS BENDABLE WHEN THE LID-COVERING PORTIONS OF THE FRONT PANEL ARE SWUNG TOWARDS EACH OTHER FORWARDLY OF SAID CENTRAL SECTION; SAID FRONT SECTION, AND SAID SECOND AND THIRD FLAPS WHEN SWUNG TOWARDS EACH OTHER TO LIE FACING THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE FRONT PANEL, BEING ADAPTED TO SERVE AS THE JACKET FOR THE BOOK; SAID TRIANGULAR STRUCTURE BEING SUFFICIENTLY STURDY TO SUPPORT A BOOK RESTING AGAINST THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE FRONT PANEL, WHEN SAID STRUCTURE IS SET TO REST ON ONE OF ITS OTHER PANELS. 